<p>SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket has the potential to transform the commercial space economy, ensure America’s position as the global leaders in the space race, and put humans on Mars for the first time.&nbsp;But first it has to get to orbit. This is becoming much more likely as the Starship test program accelerates and the company [&hellip;]</p>

<p>SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket has the potential to transform the commercial space economy, ensure America’s position as the global leaders in the space race, and put humans on Mars for the first time.&nbsp;But first it has to get to orbit. This is becoming much more likely as the Starship test program accelerates and the company [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Significant changes are coming to ABL Space Systems. The leader of the 7-year-old startup took to social media last night to make a big announcement: The company will no longer be focusing on the commercial launch market but will be turning instead to missile defense.  ABL had been developing a small launch vehicle called RS1 [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Significant changes are coming to ABL Space Systems. The leader of the 7-year-old startup took to social media last night to make a big announcement: The company will no longer be focusing on the commercial launch market but will be turning instead to missile defense.  ABL had been developing a small launch vehicle called RS1 [&hellip;]</p>

<p>When you board a plane, the pilot already knows the weather on the flight path and can steer clear, or at least warn you it&#8217;s coming. The same can&#8217;t be said of &#8220;space weather&#8221; from solar events, which can seriously affect satellites and even passenger planes. Mission Space is about to launch a constellation to [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Starfish Space has closed a new tranche of funding led by a major defense tech investor as it looks to launch three full-size satellite servicing and inspection spacecraft in 2026.  The Washington-based startup’s Otter spacecraft is designed for two primary missions: extending the operational life of expensive satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) and disposing of [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Hello, and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. There was absolutely no news last week because nothing happened. Just kidding. Defying all early polling, Donald Trump swept the election and will soon be sworn in for his second term in office. From a space policy perspective, things are already starting to look interesting. That&#8217;s mostly due [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Firefly Aerospace has raised a massive late-stage funding round as it prepares for the launch of its lunar lander later this year and the first mission of its Elytra spacecraft next year.  The $175 million Series D, which set Firefly’s valuation at over $2 billion, apparently closed in less than two months in a show [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Though General Galactic is focused on producing methane, the company isn’t necessarily looking to displace the fuel from heating and energy.</p>

<p>Though General Galactic is focused on producing methane, the company isn’t necessarily looking to displace the fuel from heating and energy.</p>

<p>Steve Altemus is optimistic. And as CEO of Intuitive Machines, which made history with the first ever successful moon landing performed by a private company, he has good reason. But that was just the opening act of his company&#8217;s plans to build &#8220;a full stack: all the pieces you need to create missions to the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Steve Altemus is optimistic. And as CEO of Intuitive Machines, which made history with the first ever successful moon landing performed by a private company, he has good reason. But that was just the opening act of his company&#8217;s plans to build &#8220;a full stack: all the pieces you need to create missions to the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>SpaceX will conduct the sixth flight test of Starship, the largest rocket ever built, as soon as November 18, following the smooth success of the previous mission less than a month ago.  The high flight cadence is thanks, in part, to that success, which included the first-ever return of the Super Heavy booster to the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>SpaceX will conduct the sixth flight test of Starship, the largest rocket ever built, as soon as November 18, following the smooth success of the previous mission less than a month ago.  The high flight cadence is thanks, in part, to that success, which included the first-ever return of the Super Heavy booster to the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Elon Musk — the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, and the owner of The Boring Company, Neuralink, and X — took a sharp swing to the right this election to support President-elect Donald Trump, using his vast wealth, influence, and megaphone on X to influence the outcome of the election.&nbsp; Musk’s support came [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Elon Musk — the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, and the owner of The Boring Company, Neuralink, and X — took a sharp swing to the right this election to support President-elect Donald Trump, using his vast wealth, influence, and megaphone on X to influence the outcome of the election.&nbsp; Musk’s support came [&hellip;]</p>

<p>SpaceX will attempt to transfer propellant from one orbiting Starship to another as early as next March, a technical milestone that will pave the way for an uncrewed landing demonstration of a Starship on the moon, a NASA official said this week.&nbsp; Much has been made of Starship’s potential to transform the commercial space industry, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Hello, and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 is a wrap, and I&#8217;m more than thrilled by the amazing space industry programming we had on offer this year. We covered everything from building a dual-use business to orbital re-entry, we caught up with Rocket Lab&#8217;s Peter Beck, and heard about the ground station [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The space industry operates in waves: There are massive highs and big lows, but it’s always exhilarating. Three venture capitalists who invest in space joined us onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt on Monday to talk about what’s coming next for this dynamic area.&nbsp; Much of the current investing is shadowed by the SPAC boom in 2021 [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Space executives took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt on Monday to talk about the challenges and opportunities of building out dual-use technology, or tech that has both a defense and a commercial use case.  The dual-use strategy can be tricky for young startups to manage, however, because they run the risk of diluting their focus [&hellip;]</p>